5 ways to end up in the sorority house of your dreams

To preface this, the sorority that may be your dream house may not necessarily be the house where you truly belong. You may not even know that a sorority is the house of your dreams until you end up in it. These tips are just things that can help you feel more confident in the recruitment process and increase your chances of getting what you want. Of course you should most importantly be yourself and trust what is meant to be will come. These are just things that I wish I had known going through recruitment myself.

For background, there are typically 3 rounds of recruitment: Sisterhood, Philanthropy, and Preference. On Sisterhood day, conversations are introductory and dress is casual. On philanthropy day, casual dresses are typically worn and conversations get longer and deeper. On preference day, cocktail dresses are worn and conversations are most intimate.

Now, we will dive into the most important things to remember when going through recruitment.

1. Let them know they are your top choice

During recruitment, sororities are going to want girls that want them back. It is kind of similar to dating. You would not continue to pursue someone that you don’t think is interested in you or you are not their top choice. Similar to how you wouldn’t say that you’re in love with someone on a first date, you don’t want to walk into your first round saying that house is your top house. This may come off as too strong and weird, so you want to be more subtle in initial conversations. You also don’t want to say these things to every girl that you talk to. Mention them to maybe 1 or 2 each round. Also, it would be best to say them to someone with an executive leadership position because they may have a stronger voice in the house. Here are some ways that you can convey your interest in that house on day 1.

-Compliment the house’s recruitment video if they have one. You can even say that it was your favorite.

-Mention that you are so excited to be there.

On the day of Philanthropy round, here are some ways you can convey this

-Mention that you are excited to be back

-Saying their philanthropy is your favorite or very close to your heart

-Compliment the sorority’s annual philanthropy event by saying how fun it looks

-Compliment the house as a whole by saying how genuine you feel that the girls are

On the day of Preference round, you have talked to them enough to be able to tell them that they are your favorite house. This may be important for them to know because they will be making their final cuts after this round.

2. Present yourself as someone that is very positive

If you are someone that is shy and not as expressive, you may have to remind yourself to demonstrate your excitement and positivity. You want to remember to smile when talking so that they don’t remember a girl with an RBF. You also want to engage excitedly in conversations and not sound bored. You want to send good energy and vibes to the girls that you are talking to.

3. Express desire to be heavily involved

Sororities look for girls that will come in and take leadership positions. Mention leadership positions that you have held in the past and ones that you may be interested in holding in a sorority. For example, you can mention that you would be interested in a leadership position related to philanthropy or event planning. Also, you should mention that you would want to live in the sorority house if you do.

4. Dress to stand out

You want to not only have memorable conversations, but to have a memorable appearance. Planning recruitment outfits is so fun but also very important. Personally, I thrifted all of my recruitment outfits to save money and find things that only I would be wearing. Here are some ideas of how you can dress to stand out on each day of recruitment.

Sisterhood round: On this day, you will most likely be asked to wear a provided T-shirt with casual bottoms. To stand out, you could wear a pair of jeans with some sort of special detail on them. Bell bottoms, jeans with some cute embroidery, or a unique belt can help you stand out. I wore a capri style pair of black jeans that had some fringe with beading at the bottom, and I got compliments at a few houses. Of course, it is most important to wear something that is your style, comfortable, and flattering.

Philanthropy round: Many girls may be wearing the same casual dresses/rompers from popular online boutiques. Try to get one that has a unique pattern and really describes you.

Preference round: If it is a flattering color on you, you may want to wear that sorority’s nationally recognized color. Of course this is not necessary, but it is just an idea that may make you seem like a good fit. Although it is hard to thrift cocktail dresses, I was able to and found such a unique pattern and style of dress.

5. Demonstrate that house’s values through your activities and actions

Research a house’s values prior to recruitment to see how well you align with them. If they value service, mention your involvement in serving the community. If they value friendship, express that you are excited to be a part of a sisterhood. If they value academics, mention being a part of honor societies or that school is important to you. Values are honestly the most important element that sororities look for in potential new members, so it is important to demonstrate your own.